Playoff Mode: Phillip Di Giuseppe on big games and bigger moments
- Shaylene Tielmann
- Jun 21
- 4 min read

Phillip Di Giuseppe has been around since day one, so it feels a little different seeing this group make it to the Calder Cup Finals. After years of watching the development of young teammates, sharing in the grind, and taking in the energy from the home crowd Di Giuseppe shares his experience.
GATG caught up with Di Giuseppe ahead of Game 4 to talk about what this run has meant to him, what the team is focusing on, and what goes into staying locked in during the biggest games of the season.
Jaslyne:
You’ve been here since the beginning. What does it feel like to be in the finals with this group?
PDG:
Yeah, it's cool. Obviously, you know, it's exciting for me to see a lot of these young guys, especially guys that [I’ve] played with over the last four years, get this opportunity and get the experiences. So, you know, it's very special.
After a dominant 6–1 win in Game 3, Di Giuseppe shared the mindset the group took going into Game 4.
Jaslyne:
What’s the messaging to the group as you're heading into game four, especially after an explosive 6–1 win last game?
PDG:
We had a really good third period, so take the key things that we did in that period and try to do that consistently throughout the game.
He also touched on what he personally focuses on during a playoff run like this.
Jaslyne:
What’s your focus going into it?
PDG:
You know, my focus has just been to, you know, enjoy. Enjoy the atmosphere in the game. And, you know, going to battle with my teammates. So, you know, once again, that state of mind, and then the game, you know, happens. I'm just reacting.
With another sold-out home crowd expected, PDG talked about the impact of fan energy at this point in the postseason.
Jaslyne:
It’s going to be another sold-out game. What does the crowd and their support do for you guys?
PDG:
Yeah, we can't say enough about the crowd here. It makes a huge difference. You know, whether you're on the attack and things are going well, feeds momentum, and then, you know when you get in those lulls where you can't get much going on, you know, one guy throws a hit, and the crowd goes crazy. It, you know, it almost like jump starts our group. So, yeah, they're a big part of what we got going on here. And hope they feel that way too.
With the playoff schedule rolling quickly from game to game, we asked how the team manages to reset and refocus.
Jaslyne:
So after each game, how do you and the team reset and get ready for the next?
PDG:
Yeah, I think you know for at least five minutes in the room when there's speeches and stuff, and then you know for the few hours following that you're on a high and you're feeling really good, but you can't focus on that game too much. You gotta enjoy it. But yeah, we know it's gonna be a battle tonight, too, so we gotta be ready.
For the Abbotsford Canucks routine out ranks the concept of rituals on game days.
Jaslyne:
Do you have any personal game day rituals that you do?
PDG:
Rituals? Funny word, because most guys, they say they're not ritual. It's more like routine. Yeah, you know, you play well one game with a certain routine, you try to stick to it. So not much, just nap, pause for lunch, nap, get coffee, get to the rink early, tape my sticks, talk with the guys, and then start warming up.
With all the high points during the playoff run, Di Giuseppe reflected on the moments that stood out most to him.
Jaslyne:
And then what's been one of the most memorable moments of the playoff run so far?
PDG:
So far it's been those game series deciding games, where you go into the game looking back now it's like we're here, but when you digest it, you know, we went game three with Tucson. You lose that game, we would have been home for a month and a half. So I think that's the most memorable, you know, in those big games, everybody seemed to show up and yeah, it's maybe not a great answer, but that's okay. Those are memorable games for me where you know that whole day you're obviously confident, but you know one bounce goes either way. You never know what happened. So, those are the fun games.
Jaslyne:
Awesome, well thank you. Good luck tonight!
PDG:
Thank you very much, it’s going to be fun.
Abbotsford won game 4 in a 3-2 victory, securing a 3-1 series lead ahead of game 5. Though Di Giuseppe didn’t garner any points that game, he has been a solid presence in the Abbotsford line up throughout the playoffs. Game 5 takes place on Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Abbotsford Centre, which is sure to be a game unlike anything we’ve witnessed so far.
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